#( went iruka because i haven't used him in aaaages )

[fightingdreamcrs]

@veroxins asked: ❛ dying to win and risking death to win are completely different. you should know this. ❜ to iruka or kakashi // JJK SENTENCE STARTERS.

"It's a fine line, and one you walk too readily..."

There is a gentleness in his words despite the quiet chastisement he gives, born of the concern he feels when he looks upon Daiten. He wonders if he had stepped in more forcefully if he would be able to change her fate before Root had done this to her. He'll never know. It doesn't stop the glint of sadness he feels.

"I just wish you'd be more careful with your life sometimes, that's all. There are people here who care about you..." Naruto, Shikamaru to name a few, Kakashi too though he'll never admit as much... "I care about you." In a different life I might have had the courage to raise you as my own.

"You are more than just a tool for the village, more than your jutsu or skills. Yes, risking death comes with the life, but it should not be a requirement for every job you encounter. Not with a skillset like yours..." A mark of pride there, now, for he has seen her grow from the youth he used to test and now a fully fledged shinobi entirely. "I'm not asking for promises, nor empty words, just a consideration once in a while... to choose the safer option even if it takes longer."

He doesn't wait for an answer, instead turning to prep the meal he had begun before Daiten arrived, swallowing hard. If his eyes glisten a moment, that's his business. He's always been too emotional to be a shinobi.